Game processing can include a process of locating a player character (or a player object) in a virtual space. A process of rendering a scene obtained by seeing the virtual space from a viewpoint different from the viewpoint of the player character in the virtual space, may be performed. An illustrative process is a process of rendering a scene for which a viewpoint (a virtual camera) is set from which viewpoint a field, in which the player character is located, is seen down.
In the case of the process of rendering a scene for which a viewpoint is set from which viewpoint the field is seen down obliquely, a situation is present where another object (e.g., an enemy character) is located between the player character and the viewpoint (virtual camera). In a scene in which such a situation is rendered, the enemy character obstructs a range of vision when the player character is seen from the viewpoint, and a player cannot recognize the position in which the player character is present.
Conventionally, in such a case, for example, as a representation method for indicating the position of the player character, a process of causing a display of the enemy character to be translucent and a process of displaying a silhouette for the purpose of indicating the position of the player character have been used.
However, when such a display process as described above is performed, it is difficult for a user to recognize what shape of a surface of the enemy character obstructing the range of vision to the player character faces the player character in the three-dimensional virtual space.
Such difficulty in recognition impairs ease of playing a game. It is a feature of certain exemplary embodiments to provide a game system and the like which do not impair ease of playing a game.
In particular, it is a feature of certain exemplary embodiments to cause the relationship between an important virtual object and a player character to easily be recognized in a progress of a game, in the case where there are many constraints in a display in which there are a plurality of player characters and another virtual object is also present.
The following technology will be described herein as illustrative embodiments for attaining the features described above.
In an illustrative aspect, a game system for displaying a scene including a predetermined object located in a virtual space is provided. The game system includes an object locating section, a game processing section, and a rendering processing section.
Here, the object locating section is configured to locate a polygon model as the object in the virtual space, and the polygon model includes a first portion and a second portion which is set so as to correspond to a surface which can be determined as a hidden surface in the first portion on the basis of a normal vector. The game processing section is configured to perform game processing. The transparent processing section is configured to increase transparency of the first portion of the object when a predetermined condition is met in the game processing. The rendering processing section is configured to render the first portion on the basis of the set transparency and to render a polygon of the second portion.
In one embodiment, the first portion in the game system may include the second portion.
In this embodiment, the second portion in the game system may be a model which has a feature of being able to be rendered so as to correspond to at least a portion of an edge of a polygon model of the first portion.
In various embodiments, transparency of the second portion in the game system may be constant regardless of the condition.
In this embodiment, the second portion may be constantly opaque.
In various embodiments, the game processing may include an operation process of controlling a player character on the basis of an operation of a player, and the transparent processing section may increase the transparency of the first portion of the object on the basis of a relative positional relationship between the player character and the object.
In this embodiment, when the object hides a portion or the entirety of the player character from a virtual camera for rendering a scene including the virtual space, the transparent processing section may increase the transparency of the first portion of the object.
In the above embodiment, the player character is close to the object, the transparent processing section may increase transparency of the object.
In the above embodiment, the operation process may be an operation process of controlling a plurality of player characters on the basis of operations of a plurality of players.
Further, in another exemplary embodiment, an image processing system for displaying a scene including a predetermined object located in a virtual space is provided. The image processing system includes an object locating section and a rendering processing section.
Here, the object locating section is configured to locate a polygon model as the object in the virtual space, and the polygon model includes a first portion and a second portion which is set so as to correspond to a surface which can be determined as a hidden surface in the first portion on the basis of a normal vector. The transparent processing section is configured to cause the first portion of the object to be translucent. The rendering processing section is configured to render the first portion on the basis of the set transparency and to render a polygon of the second portion.
As used herein, the term “transparency” is a parameter which is set such that an object represented in an image rendered in the game system indicates a transparent state. Thus, the expression of “increasing” “transparency” of a rendering target means to enhance a form in which the target is transparent, as a result of the rendering. Thus, it does not have to indicate that the value of an introduced parameter corresponding to the transparency increases. For example, it may be defined that in the case where an alpha value is a value of 0.0 to 1.0, “transparence” is provided when the alpha value is 0.0, and “opacity” is provided when the alpha value is 1.0.
As used herein, the term “system” (e.g., an image processing system, a game system, or an information processing system) may include one apparatus, or may include a plurality of apparatuses each of which can communicate with any one of the apparatuses (wirelessly or via a line).
In another aspect, the above game processing system (game system) can be provided as one game processing apparatus. In still another aspect, a computer-readable storage medium having a game processing program for performing image processing in the game processing system may be provided as one embodiment. Further, as an illustrative embodiment, a method which can be implemented in the computer-readable storage medium having the above program, the apparatus, the system is provided.
As used herein, the term “computer-readable storage medium” indicates any apparatus or medium capable of storing a program, a code, and/or data to be used in a computer system. The computer-readable storage medium may be any one of a volatile device and a nonvolatile device as long as it can be read by a computer system. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited thereto, a magnetic tape, a hard disc drive (HDD), a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a Blu-ray disc (BD), a semiconductor memory.
The game processing system and the like illustrated in the exemplary embodiment makes it easy for the player to recognize the state of the virtual object during the game processing.
These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of certain exemplary embodiments will become more apparent from the following detailed description of certain exemplary embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.